The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march entered its fifth day on Thursday, progressing from Khyber towards Peshawar as the party adjusted its schedule and route through various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
The caravan spent the night in Khyber, where a large crowd gathered to hear an address from KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. Reports indicate that over 30,000 supporters attended the event in Afridi’s hometown. After the address, the chief minister visited his ancestral home, while party workers and supporters remained at camps established for the march.
The caravan is expected to arrive at Kabotar Chowk on Charsadda Road in Peshawar around 9 pm, where Afridi is scheduled to speak to the participants. The marchers will stay overnight on Charsadda Road before continuing to Charsadda the following day. From there, the procession will move through several districts en route to Malakand.
PTI has revised the march timetable, with the caravan now anticipated to reach Swabi on October 10 instead of the previously planned October 8. Additionally, caravans originating from Malakand have been instructed to commence their journey on October 11. The updated route is expected to take the march from Khyber to Peshawar, then onward to Charsadda, passing through Mohmand, Mardan, and Bajaur before arriving in Malakand.
These adjustments come as PTI intensifies its mobilisation efforts across KP, with the procession set to traverse multiple districts before reaching its destination.
Meanwhile, the march is unfolding amid a political dispute between the provincial government and KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi. The controversy centers on a security meeting convened by the governor with the chief secretary and inspector general of police, which Afridi criticized during a cabinet session as unconstitutional.
Afridi emphasized that the provincial government, assembly, and cabinet remain fully operational, highlighting that an elected government with a two-thirds majority is in place. He stated that the constitutional validity of the governor’s meeting would be reviewed with input from the advocate general. Afridi underscored that removing a chief minister must follow constitutional procedures, such as a vote of no-confidence.
Describing the governor’s chairing of the meeting as an attack on the Constitution and democracy, Afridi accused the governor of attempting to provoke the provincial government into a reaction. “We will not allow anyone to launch an attack on democracy,” he asserted.
In addition, Afridi criticized the Pakistan Peoples Party, accusing it of placing personal interests above national priorities and playing a detrimental role in the past.
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